Pyroelectric PbZrO3-based ceramics prepared through hot isostatic pressing

A novel pyroelectric ceramic was successfully prepared by means of a hot is ostatic pressing (HIP) technique using a mixture of two perovskite PbZrO3-b ased powders. The temperature dependence of the enhanced pyroelectric coeff icient, 9.4 x 10(-4) Cm(-2)degrees C-1, of this ceramic was almost flat ove r a temperature range between 15 degrees C and 70 degrees C, while the two starting materials and their solid solution were temperature dependent. Sur face layers of several hundreds nm thick were formed on the grains and have a compositional gradient corresponding to mutual substitution of B-site io ns between the starting materials. It was found that the control of the tem perature dependence of the pyroelectricity resulted from overall integratio n of each characteristic pyroelectric coefficient in the compositional grad ient region. Finally, the structural model of the HIP sample could tentativ ely be proposed (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Limited. All rights reserved.